McDowell County, West Virginia is located in the Appalachian Mountains and provides a rural setting for its residents. The county has an estimated population of 18,668 people according to the latest US Census estimates from 2019. The health of the county is supported by numerous local hospitals and medical facilities, with several located within McDowell County itself. Local hospitals include Welch Community Hospital in Welch, Williamson Memorial Hospital in Williamson, and Southside Regional Medical Center in Grundy. These hospitals provide many services including emergency care, trauma care, surgery, physical therapy and rehabilitation, radiology and imaging services, lab testing, and more. Additionally, there are also a number of smaller medical facilities throughout the county providing primary care to residents. These facilities offer access to family physicians as well as specialists for illnesses such as diabetes or heart conditions. In addition to these general medical services, McDowells has several mental health providers dedicated to providing mental health assessments and treatments such as therapy or medication management for those in need of it. All of these medical organizations work together to ensure that the residents of McDowell have access to quality healthcare no matter where they live in the county.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 61 physicians per 100,000 population in McDowell County. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the McDowell County area is 114.9 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
114.9 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the McDowell County area is 86 (100=best). The US average is 55.
86 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the McDowell County area is 86 (100=best). The US average is 87.
86 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in McDowell County commutes 24.9 minutes one-way, which is shorter than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the McDowell County area is 75 (100=best). The US average is 58.
75 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.